NUP alleges abduction of Deputy Spokesperson Alex Waiswa
KAMPALA – The opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) on Monday accused security forces of abducting its deputy spokesperson, Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, shortly after he left a court session in Kawempe.
According to Leader of the Opposition and NUP secretary-general Joel Ssenyonyi, Waiswa had stepped out of Kawempe Magistrates Court, where he was attending the case of party mobiliser Eddie Mutwe and others, when plain-clothed men believed to be soldiers violently forced him into a silver Toyota Noah, registration number UAK 368K. He was then driven to an unknown location.
“The cowardice and criminality of the regime is baffling,” Ssenyonyi said in a statement on X.
Ssenyonyi, together with Nakawa East MP Ronald Balimwezo, later went to Wandegeya Police Station seeking information about Waiswa’s whereabouts. NUP officials claimed that after a search at his home, he was expected to be returned to the station.
NUP Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya also condemned the incident, insisting it was an abduction rather than a lawful arrest. He argued that similar incidents targeting party leaders and supporters were “meant to cripple the operations of the party” as Uganda prepares for elections.
Police and military spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment.
The alleged abduction comes amid a series of arrests of NUP leaders and supporters in different parts of the country. Over the weekend, party leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, said dozens of NUP supporters had been detained in Mityana, Katakwi, Mbarara, and Mbale, describing the wave of arrests as a coordinated attempt to silence the opposition.
Human rights groups have in the past expressed concern over the recurring reports of abductions, often carried out by plain-clothed security operatives using unmarked vehicles, a practice widely criticized for undermining due process and public trust in law enforcement.
